


I'll Never Leave You Again

by sweetfayetanner



Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Genre: Adam and Belle need to hug it out, Angst, F/M, PTSD, Romance, sappy tropes abound
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 04:33:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10801788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetfayetanner/pseuds/sweetfayetanner
Summary: Belle and Adam share a quiet moment during their carriage ride to the village after the curse is broken.





	I'll Never Leave You Again

It’s mid-morning by the time they depart the castle for Villeneuve to see Belle’s father. Their carriage trundles along miles of dirt road, through a thick forest that’s no longer held prisoner by snow and ice. Rays of golden sunlight fall through the bright green canopy of leaves, filling up the carriage with warmth.

As they jostle along the uneven roads, Belle catches the sweet scent of wildflowers that adorn their path. Her fingers are laced with Adam’s, resting on top of his knee; every so often his thumb traces across the back of her hand and her face flushes pink. It’s been hours since the curse was broken, and hardly a moment has passed where their fingers haven’t been entwined, where they haven’t been by each other’s side.

The interior of the carriage is small, yet no less extravagant than the castle. Plush, velvet seats, damask curtains, and gold accents make Belle feel underdressed in her blue petticoats and bodice. She worries her riding boots will track mud on the floor. It’s a foolish sort of thought, her feeling like an outsider in Adam’s world. She knows better, knows that the pair of them are outsiders navigating this new world together.

Her hip knocks against Adam’s as the carriage presses on. His gaze is far away out the window, watching the landscape rush by with childlike wonder. He’s casually dressed, she thinks, for a prince, though somehow he’s managed to look immaculate despite the events of the previous night. Bright white sun appears to make him glow around the edges, as if still held by the Enchantress’ magic. His hair, spun like straw into gold by the daylight, is tied back with a blue ribbon that matches his breeches and waistcoat. The silver embroidery on his waistcoat, all climbing vines and flourishes, is a work of art.

Adam had rolled up the sleeves of his linen shirt once the temperature had climbed inside the carriage. On any other occasion Belle might have balked at the lack of propriety, but they had gone through quite enough in such a short span of time to warrant the blatant neglect of proper decorum. She tightens her hold on his fingers, trying to smile through the wave of emotion that seizes her throat. They’ve been through so much. _Too much._

In the quiet, she can still hear the gunshots.

He catches her just as her eyes well with tears. In the next instant, his thumbs brush along her cheeks, wiping them away before they have a chance to slip any further down her face. Adam’s brow pulls together, the blissful grin traded for concern.

“What is it, my darling?” he asks.

The words are there, clambering for space on her tongue—all of the fears and nightmares that cloud her mind’s eye every time she lingers in the dark. But she can’t speak them aloud, not at first. Instead, her chin wobbles, her bottom lip quivering under the force of her own steely resolve to dam the onslaught of tears.

“Belle,” Adam exhales. “Come here.”

Adam pulls her into his lap so that her legs rest on either side of his thighs, and if she was worried at all about propriety before, she certainly isn’t now. Belle leans into him, fingernails buried into his shirt, her ear against his chest. He cradles the back of her head in his palm, his thumb stroking back and forth while his other hand settles on her waist. It’s then that Belle decides this is her favorite place in the entire world, that she might even love it more than the castle library. It’s just the two of them in this quiet, cramped space, wrapped up in one another with no concern for the outside world. And it’s here that Belle feels safe enough to break.

He leaves a kiss in her hair. “It’s all right,” Adam whispers. Belle inhales the scent of bergamot on his skin and circles her arms around his neck. There’s no room between them, but yet she wants— _needs_ —to be closer. “Whatever it is, it’s all right now.”

Belle shakes her head. “ _No_ ,” her voice trembles, and it takes her a minute to collect herself before she looks at him.

When she does, she nearly regrets it. His expression is so gentle, those damned blue eyes of his searching her own for a way in. It’s still incredible to her that those eyes are the same ones she’s been staring into for weeks, the same blue she’s seen soften from contempt to… _love_.

Belle lets out a shaky breath and rests her forehead against Adam’s. She stays like that for the longest time, letting him hold her, listening to the carriage creak and groan while the dirt passes under its wheels. She needs this assurance, needs to match the pace of her breath with his.

“You died,” she says, and the words sting once they settle between them. “I saw you…you were _gone_ , Adam. I thought I’d never… I should have done more to stop him—should have—”

“None of that is your fault,” he tells her. “You mustn’t blame yourself for any of it. I’d take a dozen bullets if it meant none of them ever reached you.” Adam takes her face in his palms, giving her a soft, lopsided smile.

“I’d rather you didn’t.”

Adam laughs. It’s a sound that Belle will never tire of hearing.

His lips brush across her forehead. “My love,” he whispers, “I’m here now. It was you, Belle… _you_ brought me back. And I’ll never leave you again, you have my word.” 

He leaves a kiss along her jaw, his breath making her shiver. Belle never knew she could love another person so much, so completely. It’s a comfort to hear him repeat her own words back to her, like a vow. She’d never doubt Adam’s love for her—how could one ever doubt a love strong enough to break a curse? But she’s grateful that he’s here with her to say it.

“Is that a promise?” she whispers back, lips hovering near his.

Adam’s nose nudges Belle’s. “Forever.”

She draws him into a kiss, never once leaving his embrace until their arrival in the village.

**Author's Note:**

> This work was partially inspired by this post and adorable fan art on Tumblr: https://tinyurl.com/kknujfx though modified for the live action movie. Hope you enjoyed reading :)


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